


Days in the Warren

by orphan_account



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alien Biology, Breeding, Claiming, Female Jack Frost, Jack is traumatized by this stuff, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Pooka Jack Frost, Rape Aftermath, Rape Recovery, but that explains how and why Jack is a Pooka, i scared myself reading the third chapter seriously wow i can't believe i wrote that, you don't have to read Winter Coat first
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-20
Updated: 2014-03-03
Packaged: 2018-01-09 08:54:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1144010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Jack is revealed to be a Pooka kit during the battle against Pitch, Bunny takes him in and raises him as a proper Pooka. Sequel to Winter Coat. Rating and warnings relevant in later chapters.</p><p>Feel free to try continuing, if you like.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day-to-day Adjustments

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mickychi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mickychi/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mickychi, this story is dedicated to you because without your comment on Winter Coat, it would never have been written.  
> Enjoy~

Bunny woke with a start as something landed on top of him, reflexively lashing out at the cool, soft, heavy thing on his back. There was a yelp as he spun out from under his blanket, years of training reacting for him before he was even properly awake.

"Geez, give a guy a break, Bunny!" Jack whined, crouching and rubbing his butt. "I woke up early, so I made breakfast." standing up, he crossed his arms and scowled. It probably would have been a good scowl, except on his Pookan face it was ridiculously adorable.

Bunny couldn't help it, he snorted. "You're doing it again, Jack." he smiled, sitting down on the edge of his nest.

Jack bared his teeth, ears flat to his head. "For the last time, Bunny, I'm not cute!"

"Have you asked Tooth?" the older Pooka smirked. "Or North, or Sandy. I think even Pitch would agree. You're adorable, mate. Get used to it."

Jack tried to growl, but it came out sounding more like a whine. He startled at the high pitched noise, ears coming up. Then they flicked back down and he settled for glaring. "Fine, I'm not gonna share." he grumbled, turning and stalking out of the room, tail held high.

Bunny shook his head and laughed. Jack really did act like a kit, despite how the winter sprite adamantly insisted that no child-spirit would have survived as long as he had unaided. And yet, for all his blustering, he had yet to reject Bunny's offers of care and a place in the Warren. Standing up, the Spring spirit pulled on his bracers and grabbed the straps which wound around his feet and ankles. "Don't go stuffing yourself, ya gumby. I want to spar with you later."

"Go suck an egg." Jack shouted back.

\-----

Jack tilted his head one way, then the other, watching his ears twitch in his reflection. Two whole years of being a Guardian, living with Bunny, learning how to be a Pooka, learning how to fight all over again with his new centre of gravity. And somehow, he was only just noticing the way his ears twitched when he tilted his head. Left, twitch twitch. Right, twitch twitch. Left, right, left again.

"Something in the glitter pool?"

Jack yelped, startling himself with the pitch of his own voice for the umpteenth time, and nearly fumbled his staff into the shimmering liquid. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" he yelled, Wind picking him up and spinning him around so he could glare at Bunny eye to eye.

"Wait, were you checking your reflection?" Bunny snickered. "What, got someone coming over?" he set down the basket of vegetables and crossed his arms, smirking. "I might have to find my old staff and give 'em the shovel talk."

Jack groaned, dragging his paw-hands down his face. One of many, many things which had felt less awkward when he was human. "By the Gods, Bunny, can't I get three minutes of peace around here?"

Bunny chortled. "Just bringing lunch. You want me to leave?"

"Yes." Jack huffed, narrowing his eyes.

Halfway down the hill that led up to one of the two starts of the dye river's tributaries, Bunny heard Jack yell after him. "And I was _thinking_ , you big furry asshole!"

\-----

Bunny winced as Jack dragged the brush down his back a bit too roughly. "Frostbite, be gentle. that's my fur you're pulling out."

"Well maybe if you groomed yourself more often, it wouldn't be such a rat's nest back here." he snapped, giving Bunny a firm rap between the ears with the back of the brush. "I swear, it's like you haven't shed properly in the past decade."

Bunny said nothing, just winced as the brush yanked out more of his fur. "One day, I will make you suffer for this."

"I'd freeze you solid, Kangaroo."'

\-----

"Jack is awake!" North boomed, throwing the door open so hard it slammed against the wall. Bunny was in the door before it had a chance to shut, and Jack pulled a face when he noticed.

"Dunno what all the fuss is for." he grumbled, scooting up to sit against the headboard. "Just broke my arm."

"Just?" Bunny nearly shouted. Jack puffed up like a pomerian, ears sticking straight up. Tooth hovered in the doorway, looking concerned, and the grey-furred Pooka let out a long sigh. "You had a concussion, you daft kit. Scared the living daylights out of us."

Jack rolled his eyes, and Bunny yanked on his ear.

"What was that for?" the winter sprite yelped, pinning the abused ear to his head, then the other one pre-emptively.

"For being stupid and scaring me half to death, you little trog." Bunny laid his ears back for a moment and bared his teeth slightly, making sure Jack got the message before letting his expression soften. "Never do that again, okay?"

"Fine, fine." Jack waved his uninjured arm dismissively. "I'm hungry." he said abruptly. Turning to face North, who was standing against the wall next to the doorway, he put on his most angelic smile and cocked his ears forwards eagerly. "Can I have cookies?"

\-----

"Bunny?"

"What?" the addressed Guardian called over his shoulder, not looking up from his gardening.

"My hoodie ripped."

He hadn't heard Jack sound that dejected since, well, ever. Sticking the trowel in as a marker for where he'd planted so far, the Pooka stood slowly and brushed the dirt from his knees. "Haven't I told you a million times not to play by the-" he turned around and stopped mid sentence, frowning. Jack's chosen top wasn't ripped like it usually was, along the sleeve or across the torso from a run-in with a prickly plant. The seams had given out on both sides, from the underarms to about halfway down the torso.

"Bunny?" Jack tilted his head, hopping closer and lifting an arm. "You can fix it, right?"

The older Pooka sighed and facepalmed. "Jack, you need a new shirt."

"But I _like_ this one!" he whined, crossing his arms. There was a ripping sound, and he hurriedly uncrossed them, checking the seams.

"Frostbite, you've outgrown it. Now go grab my old coat, and we'll go get North to make you something."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, now go grab my old coat and change into that, or you're going to have to wear that until it falls apart completely."

Jack stuck his tongue out. "I'll just get one of the Yetis to fix it."

"You can't fix outgrowing your clothes, Jack." Bunny called after the retreating kit. Jack flipped him off and leapt into the air, soaring up out of sight.

\-----

"Bunny?"

"Jack, 's the middle of the bleedin night. Go back ta sleep."

"Can I sleep with you?"

The older Pooka propped himself up, giving the smaller one a sleepy glare. "No, now get back ta bed before I drag you by the ears."

"Please?" Jack wheedled. "I had a bad dream."

Bunny sighed. Somehow, without his noticing it, Jack had mastered the 'helpless kit' face. Big watery eyes, ears drooped to the sides of the head, nose twitching sporadically. "Alright, but just this once." he relented, holding up his blanket.

Jack crawled in with a grateful smile, and curled up into a tight, cool ball of fluff with his face pressed right up against the larger Guardian's chest. Bunny smiled tiredly and curled around Jack, letting the blanket settle over both of them.

"G'night, Bunny." Jack mumbled.

"Go ta sleep, Frostbite."

\-----

Jack hung upside down from the tree's lowest branches, watching Bunny with a curious expression. It had been almost two hundred years since the young Pooka's initiation as a Guardian, and in that time Jack had grown several inches. Disregarding the ears, he was now nose-to-shoulders with Bunny. Some decades ago he'd let North make him a totally new hoodie, same colour and fabric but now with holes in the hood for his ears to fit through. It was almost large enough for Bunny, so that it would not be outgrown as the last one was, but Jack had already been forced to mend it half a dozen times.

"Will I get to be as tall as you?"

Bunny chuckled. "Maybe, maybe not. Ya don' have yer Clan mark yet, so I can't even guess. But I'd put my money on you being a Phorbia, so ya just might grow another few inches."

"What?" Jack squawked. "This is as tall as I'm gonna get?" he crossed his arms, scowling. "I'm not even as tall as I used to be, though."

"Well, you **are** a sheila." Bunny chuckled. "Tend to be smaller, quicker, more deadly." he looked up from his planting and smiled. "And you're not done growing just yet, you may end up a bit taller than ya were before."

Jack stuck his tongue out. "As soon as you teach me how to do that shifty thing, I don't want to be a girl anymore. I like being a guy, even if I have to be fluffy."

"Hey, call yourself what you like." Bunny raised his hands, palms out. "But that body yer in is a doe, and nothing can change that."

Jack huffed and tucked his ears back, flipping his hood up so they fit neatly through the holes. "How old am I? Like, if I was a human, how old would I be?"

Bunny frowned slightly, thinking. "Well, probably around twelve or thirteen. Ya should be gettin yer Clan mark soon."

Jack grinned. "Does that mean you'll start teaching me how to do stuff? Cuz you _said_ -"

Bunny chuckled and went back to planting. "On my honour, Frostbite."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just some snippets of what their day-to-day life is like. Jack really does enjoy being taken care of, but he can't help being a little brat sometimes. Some of these are drawn from personal experience as an older sibling, btw. Bunny can at least be grateful there's not three Jacks running around messing with his shit. Phorbia is taken from Euphorbia pulcherrima, because Pookas with scientific names :3
> 
> And yes, I will still be using male pronouns for Jack. I will continue to do this because Jack still sees himself as male, and always will. But to be fair, when it comes to Pooka the differences between male and female aren't as obvious. At least, not to humans. And Jack wasn't raised as a Pooka, so he has no idea how to tell the difference really.


	2. Dealing With a Teenage Doe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack gets his Clan mark, which denotes he's now sexually mature. Bunny, however, has forgotten that they're not actually blood relatives. And that Jack is physically a doe.

Jack was curled up in his blanket, shivering violently despite having everything but his nose covered by the thick, warm blanket. Bunny padded across the room, and sat down on the edge of the nest. "You feeling okay, Frostbite?" he asked scratching between the younger Guardian's ears.

The shivering stopped momentarily, then resumed much more intensely. "Go away." Jack moaned.

Normally, his friend's voice was just low enough to be ambiguous. Today it was higher, and the kid sounded absolutely miserable. "Want me ta make you something warm?" he offered, scratching behind Jack's ears. Usually that drew a contented purr from the pale-furred Pooka, but today the smaller Guardian made a strangled sounding moan. Bunny drew his hand away and gave the teen a concerned look. "Jack, are you hurt?"

"Dunno." the winter sprite moaned, curling into a tighter ball. "I'm hot and itchy all over and everything **hurts**."

Blood quickly drained from Bunny's face, and he stood up. "Uh, I'm gonna, go... food, I'll make ya food. Right." he ducked out of the room and pulled the curtain firmly shut behind himself, leaning against the wall of packed dirt and resisting the urge to take deep breaths through his nose to calm himself. In retrospect, he really should've seen this day coming. Jack had his Clan mark, he wasn't a kit anymore. And his little brother _was_ technically a doe.

Straightening up, Bunny strode out of his home. Once he had the door firmly shut, he dropped onto all fours and raced for the tunnel that lead to the Tooth Palace. Jack needed somebody to take care of him in the next few days, and he didn't trust himself to do it without snapping and doing something he'd heartily regret later.

At least he'd realized what was going on before he'd inhaled too many pheromones. Maybe sometime in the future... no, no, that was a very bad train of thought to pursue while he was en-route to Tooth's.

The Pooka surfaced at the base of the mountain which was dominated by Punjam Hy Loo, and in moments he was being beleaguered by a battalion of mini fairies, all firing questions at him about Jack. Thankfully, Toothiana dismissed them after a minute, and the swarm dissipated so quickly it was surreal.

"Bunny." she grinned, flitting in to give him a hug. "How are you?"

"Tooth, I need ta cash in on a favour." he blurted.

She drew away and gave him a concerned look. "Did something happen to the Warren? To Jack? Should I call the others?"

Bunny shook his head. "Remember how Frostbite turned into a kit?"

She nodded, then gasped and brought her hands up over her mouth. "Have you hit your cycle again?"

Bunny shook his head and scratched the back of one ear. "It's Jack. First Heat is awful, and I can't stay in the Warren ta take care of him."

Tooth winced in sympathy. "You didn't-"

"No, I'd never." Bunny shook his head. "I turned tail and skedaddled as soon as I figured what was going on."

Tooth nodded and flitted in to give him another hug. "I'm glad. But what favour do you need to call in?"

"Jack needs someone ta take care of him, and I don't trust myself ta do it without, y'know."

Tooth nodded again, her smile kind. "I understand. I'll play babysitter for a while, and send Baby Tooth to get you when it's over."

"I save your life, you save my dignity." he chuckled. "Fair enough."

Tooth laughed and held up a finger. "One sec, I need to go tell the girls what's up."

Bunny nodded and opened a tunnel to the Warren, crouching at the edge and tracing shapes in the dry dirt around the edge. Only one spirit on this damn planet knew about the more delicate issues that came with being the last of his kind, and she just so happened to be the last of her own as well. Her kind had their own sensitive difficulties, and all those centuries ago, after they first defeated the Nightmare King, they had agreed to ease each other through the painful loneliness of those times.

Tooth hovered in front of him, and he smiled as she stroked his cheek.

"I'll take good care of him."

"Don't let him have any sort of sweets, they get him all riled up and excess energy is the last thing he needs right now."

Toothiana laughed, and kissed the second-eldest Guardian on the nose. "I found that out the hard way with you, remember?" she grinned cheekily. "Don't you worry, I can handle Jack."

\-----

The second time, Jack collapsed while getting a midnight snack. Bunny found him a twitching wreck on the floor in the morning, and held his breath while carrying the younger Pooka back to bed. This time, Jack asked for Sandy to come so he could sleep through it. Bunny smiled at the winter sprite's ingenuity and went to the surface to summon the oldest of his teammates.

\-----

The third and fourth time, Jack bolted without warning the day before and came home to the Warren once it was over. Both times Bunny worried himself half to death, and both times Jack adamantly refused to say where he had gone, only that it was somewhere safe and private.

\-----

The fifth time, he came home covered in bites and bruises, and refused to tell Bunny who had put them there. Jack showed Bunny his little secret hideaway, a little cave system in the Andes which was quickly deemed no longer safe. Two days later they had found, masked, and warded a cave the size of a dorm room. It was only accessible via a crack in a cliff face, which let in light and fresh air, and Jack deemed it his personal hidey hole almost immediately. Never had Bunny been more glad of his friend's stubbornness in learning Earth magic. If Jack hadn't been so insistent upon learning how to operate the tunnels, finding a suitable place would have been much more difficult.

\-----

By the sixth time, they had a good idea of when Jack's cycle would come around. The winter sprite gave Bunny a hug before leaving, and there was a good meal ready when the younger Pooka came back. Life continued as it had before, and Bunny let the years slip by without complaint. One day, he would have to dig out the spell that halted his and Tooth's ageing. But that day was a long ways away, far in the future, and for the moment life was good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am saying that Tooth and Bunny had a thing for when Bunny was in Rut and/or she was in mating season. Two last-of-their-kind Guardians, plus I really love them as a couple, so hey, why the hell not? This one is rather shortish, but it didn't feel right to tack the Jackrabbit one on the end. That one gets its own chapter.
> 
> Fun facts I learned while doing research for this chapter:  
> 1- humans are the only species on earth to shed their uterine lining after an ovulation/oestrus which produces no offspring.  
> 2- rabbits don't go into heat, they only release eggs _after_ mating.  
>  3- kangaroos only go into heat immediately after giving birth (weird!)
> 
> So of course, I just went "screw it they're aliens" and went with fanon.


	3. Pookas Mate for Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the earliest Easter in several centuries, falling only days after the start of spring. Jack has exhausted himself with an enormous blizzard to end his jurisdiction on the weather, and needs to recharge. Bunny, as always, needs to sleep for a few days after working himself half to death on Easter. It slips both their minds that this is the first time their Cycles will sync.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where the bad stuff happens. Don't read it if it makes you uncomfortable. Just know that it happens, and Jack is rightfully traumatized by it.

Jack was seated in a tree, struggling to read a book written in the odd round words of High Pookan. Bunny was bound and determined that Jack should be able to read the language of their dead species. He'd been learning for a few months now, and was up to picture books meant for kits the equivalent of kindergarten age. Marking his place with a leaf, he shut the oddly shaped book and shifted his staff from the crook of his elbow into his hand. It was getting late, and Bunny was still out hiding eggs, which meant he didn't have to eat if he wasn't hungry. He was, however, tired out. Winter had ended with a bang for Russia just a few days ago, and with Spring just starting he wasn't allowed to go and start raising flurries anywhere. Wind picked him up easily, sensing his exhaustion, and he landed just outside of the Hobbit-like door which lead to his home.

Home. Sometimes, even now that he'd spent over half of his spirit life here, he'd be surprised all over again that his home was an actual **home** and not a lake in a public park. He had a room, a place to put things, a family who cared about him, and children no longer walked through him when they had snowball fights. Shaking his head, he opened the door and walked through the hallway to his room.

Over the centuries it had accumulated magic like human dwellings accumulated dust, and now when he passed the pale blue curtain it was like walking between two seasons. Frost bloomed from his feet, and he dropped his book on the bedside table. His staff rested nicely where he always placed it, the butt end resting in a dip in the floor and the crook hanging against the wall over the edge of his nest. Pulling off his hoodie, Jack hung the well-loved jacket on the end of his staff. 

Wrapping himself up in the blanket North had made him, the winter sprite fell into his nest. He was asleep before his head hit the snow-dusted grass, dreaming of blizzards and snowdays and that first, amazing night when Jamie had believed.

\-----

Bunny shook his head, trying to clear it, but the action didn't do any more the fifth time than it had the first four. Sighing, he opened up a tunnel to the Warren. Jack would probably still be sleeping, regaining his strength after such a blowout blizzard to end his season. Little bugger could conk out for days on end after the really huge storms.

The Pooka's limbs carried him to the door while his mind wandered, and he absentmindedly turned down the intensity of the magical light which allowed things to grow before yawning deeply. Drowsily, he shuffled across the room and pulled aside a curtain. Only to be greeted with a blast of cold air in the face. Why the hell had he gone to Jack's room? He must've been even more tired than he thought. Turning around, Bunnymund plodded into his own nestroom and flopped down on top of the blanket. He was dead to the world in seconds.

\-----

Jack awoke to warmth, and sighed happily. He may have been a being of cold and ice, but he loved a good warm cuddle as much as anyone else. "Mornin'." he mumbled sleepily, nuzzling into Bunny's ruff. His whole body felt pleasantly tingly all over, and he at once felt like he could fly to the moon and like he would be content just lying like this forever.

Bunny stirred, and Jack purred contentedly as strong arms pulled him close. Times like this, he didn't mind being several inches shorter than the darker Pooka. If he were as tall as his friend, Bunny wouldn't be able to curl around him so completely, and that was he favourite part of snuggling with the other Guardian. He drifted in and out of sleep for a while, cozy and warm and pleasantly tingly where Bunny was pressed against him, which seemed to be just about everywhere.

"What day 's it?" he mumbled after a while.

"Dunno." Bunny rumbled back, tucking Jack's head under his chin. "Duzzit matter?"

"No." Jack hummed, though it came out at more of an "nnnh" than an articulate word.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, him tucked up against Bunny's chest and Bunny holding him tight, but when he did begin to fully wake up it was with a moan. The pleasant tingling had become not-quite-so-pleasant prickling, and his veins felt like they were on fire. All the usual signs that he was entering Heat. He tried to move, but Bunny's arms were still locked tight around him and his limbs felt like lead. That was new, and rather disconcerting. Usually Heat wound him up so tight he couldn't stop moving.

The urge was still there, he realized after a few moments. To move, to **do** something. He simply couldn't act on it. The other urges of Heat were beginning to surface as well, and he flushed. Of all the times for him to lose track of the date, it had to happen now. Even if he could have moved his arms, to touch himself with Bunny so close would have felt wrong. Like jerking off in front of Lady Liberty. (worst lost bet **EVER** , but at least Summer had gotten her dues as well)

"Bunny? Can you get off of me?" he asked, managing to lift his heavy limbs enough to push weakly at the arms which held him in place.

The older Pooka just mumbled sleepily and held Jack tighter, making the skin-prickling sensation worse. Jack bit the inside of his cheek for a while, breathing through his nose to keep from making a sound. The air smelled funny, though that may have been because he was breathing through Bunny's fur, but instead of telling off the taller Guardian he simply hoped he wouldn't sneeze.

Somehow, despite the energy buzzing through him and the pins-and-needles contact with Bunnymund, Jack found himself waking up again a while later. It was almost surreal, as if he'd not fully awoken from the dream he'd been having. Bunny must have gotten up, because now he was spread-eagled on his back in the nest. The urges of Heat were still there, still eating away at the edges of his coherent thoughts, and with a wary glance at the curtain he reached down to pleasure himself. It only ever helped a little, but even just his fingers took off the edge.

His eyes fluttered shut and he moaned quietly. It must have been one hell of a dream, because he was so on-edge it only took a minute to bring himself to climax. The prickling subsided to a slight itch, and Jack grabbed his staff. Now he'd have the best chance of wielding his ice without it backfiring horribly, so he should take the chance to seal up his room. Bunny walking in on him in this state would only be embarrassing for the both of them.

He willed ice to shoot from the crook of his staff, but nothing came out. "Damn it." he muttered, stalking over to the doorway. Rapping the hooked end against the floor raised a threshold of ice, but nothing more. Jack sighed and stalked back over to his nest, sitting down heavily on the edge. Maybe he could make a run for it, try to get to his nice, private, warded cave before the next wave hit. No, the prickling was already starting to come back. But which was worse, the possibility of Bunny walking in on him, or running during Heat?

Bunny walking in on him, definitely. Jack pulled on his hoodie, biting back a whimper as the fabric rubbed against his hyper-sensitized chest, then strapped his staff to his back and took off. Turn right into the hall, three long bounds, left through the kitchen, right through the living room, out the door and kick it into full speed. Wind rushed with him, asking silently if he was cool enough to fly. Jack shook his head, and his longtime friend went quiet. It was dim, which meant Bunny was still sleeping o

He was passing through the egg planting grounds when he skidded to a halt, nose in the air and twitching violently. Something smelled odd, and it was raising every hair on his body. There was a thud behind him, and Jack didn't have to look back to understand that he was in danger. Something had gotten into the Warren, and was after him. He didn't even think, he just bolted. Wind tried to help him as he hurdled obstacles and leapt between hilltops, but with his body temperature raised as it was, they couldn't just fly away. It was scary and exhilarating at once, and when he whooped it came out sounding much more primal than he'd intended.

Whatever was chasing him seemed to like it well enough, because it bellowed back a roar that shook Jack right down to his bones, making him stumble. The crest of the hill fell away as his face pitched downwards, and he let out a most undignified, high pitched shriek. His pursuer crested the hill as Jack scrambled to his feet, and this time when he took off again it was on unsteady paws. The scent was rolling off his pursuer in waves, choking him, making his limbs weak and skewing his sense of balance.

His foot came down on a knotted tree root and twisted underneath him, sending him pitching forwards again. He landed harder this time, and the _thing_ came to a halt, pinning him easily. Jack's heart hammered in his chest, threatening to suffocate him. Everything smelled of his pursuer, a reek which filled his nose and throat, choking him, weighting his limbs and making his struggles weaker by the second. It was as if there was somebody attaching strings to him, pulling against his actions, playing some sick sort of puppetmaster to the nightmare he was living.

Jack couldn't see, couldn't think. His assailant had him pinned so thoroughly he couldn't even move. And- _shit_ , he could feel the next wave of his Heat building. His attacker seemed to recognize what was happening, because they rolled their hips against his. Jack couldn't completely stifle a moan as something rubbed between his legs, brushing against the sensitive nub between his openings. He screamed as he was entered, then continued screaming as a second cock was pressed into his other vagina. He screamed in pain mostly, but he also screamed for help. For Tooth, for North, for Sandy, for the other Seasons, for Mother Nature, for the Moon himself. But mostly he screamed for Bunny, praying with every breath that the older Pooka would wake and come to his rescue. As much as the winter sprite hated relying on others, he hated being helpless even more.

He climaxed with a wail, and then screamed as his attacker came inside of him. He screamed until his voice went, and then he just cried silently, tears falling into the grass. After a while the tears ran out, and when the figure above him bent down to bite his neck Jack remembered the self defense training Bunny had given him. Twisting his hands, the winter sprite yanked his arms free and rammed his forehead into the larger spirit's chin. There was a yowl of pain, the figure pulled away to clutch the stinging injury, and Jack was off like a shot. In moments he was surrounded by a glacial wind, and without having to ask he was carried up and out of reach of his attacker.

"Go." he whispered hoarsely, fumbling his staff from its holder on the back of his hoodie. Wind didn't need any further urging, and in under a minute they were out of the Warren. He could still hardly think, the Heat muddling his brain, and so Jack simply curled up into a tight ball and clutched his staff to his chest. "Take me somewhere safe, Wind." he rasped, tears freezing in his fur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is Noncon. Jack may be in Heat, but he's not fully mature yet so it's not strong enough to make him black out and go into mating frenzy. Bunny, however, _is_ fully mature, and as such has little to no memory of what happens while he's in Rut. It is important for you to know that Bunny was not in his right mind during the attack. He was legitimately not in control of his actions, but it is entirely his fault for forgetting when he would go into Rut. He is not going to go easy on himself for this, and Jack will not excuse him for it. This will be the root of many issues later, which I will do my best to portray realistically.
> 
> Fun facts I learned while doing research for this chapter:  
> 1- kangaroos have **two vaginas** , and two uteruses.   
> 2- kangaroos have a bifid penis, meaning it splits in two halfway down.  
> 3- kangaroos ask for sex by scratching the female's tail
> 
> And of course, once again I went "screw it they're aliens" and twisted my collection of facts to fit the smut I want to write later, after much discussion and . But now my google history is now so very bizarre. All in the name of Pooka anatomy research. Also, I now know WAY too much about kangaroo mating things. Australia, man :/


	4. Family is the Best Support System

Jack landed hard on the ever-shifting pattern of grass and water, collapsing forwards as Wind pulled back. All around him the thin fog had become rippling sheets of ice, reacting to Wind’s presence, and he shivered violently. “M-mom?” he called out, hating how his voice shook, hating how hoarse it was, how high and quiet and tear-choked. He sounded weak, like a little kid.

A familiar shape approached, the ice returning to fog and parting like innumerable curtains as she passed through. “Jack?” she knelt next to him and lifted him up, tucking his face against her shoulder. “Oh, my baby, what has happened to you?” she whispered, carding her fingers through his fur.

He tried to blink back the tears and keep his breaths even, but it was no use. His chest heaved, forcing sobs from his throat, and in moments Mother Nature’s bodice was soaked with tears. She continued to hold him as he cried, lightly running her fingers through his fur and murmuring words of comfort in his ears. When he did grow quiet, Seraphina continued to hold him, rocking the teen gently.

When he began to snore, she rose gracefully to her feet, the young Pooka still in her arms. Stepping easily over the shifting streams and rivulets, she climbed up the vapour which clung to one of the trees and stepped into his younger son’s room. The bed had been changed out for a nest once his true form was revealed, and now she laid him in it with a kiss to the forehead. Seating herself on the edge, she took the staff from his paws and rested it in the groove where it had always stayed.

“I’ll love you forever, I’ll love you for always.” she sang quietly, gathering moisture above her winter child. “As long as we’re living, my baby you’ll be.” the moisture began to condense into snow, a blanket befitting her second-youngest, and she cupped his cheek with a small smile. “I shall protect you, my darling. Whatever spirit did this shall suffer greatly for their sins.”

\-----

Jack woke to pure whiteness, and the smell of rain. Snow, he realized after a moment. He must have buried himself in his sleep. Sitting up, he looked around in confusion. Wooden walls, a floor of cloudy ice, an actual door with a lock. This wasn’t his nestroom.

The events of his Heat hit him like a freight train, and he nearly threw up. He’d been assaulted in the Warren while Bunny was asleep. Something had gotten in and- and- he pinned his ears to his head. He couldn’t go to Lady Liberty and say he’d been raped, there was no proof. He couldn’t tell the Guardians, they would just coddle him and try to get him to shove it under the rug. He couldn’t- Jack’s head snapped up, and he was on his feet with the staff levelled at his door before he’d even realized there was somebody there. Mother Nature smiled and held out the tray of food, waiting until he pulled the staff against his chest and sat down on the edge of his nest before walking into the room.

“Jack, do you feel comfortable telling me what happened?”

He shuddered and put the apple back down, hugging the ancient shepherd’s crook to his chest. “Do I have to?”

She shook her head and laid a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Is there anyone you would be comfortable talking to? I can have your Cloudling go and fetch them.”

Jack shook his head again, flipping his hood up. “No.”

“You can stay here as long as you need, alright?” she smiled, picking up the apple and holding it out. “But you need to eat.”

The winter sprite grudgingly bit into his fruit, and Seraphina stood slowly. “If you need me, just call.”

“Right.” Jack nodded listlessly, staring at the apple. The door shut, and he finished the fruit before rolling back into the snow drift and burying himself. The attacker’s stench had caught in his fur, and seemed to be seeping from the mark on his neck as well. Closing his eyes, Jack willed himself to go back to sleep. At least in his dreams, he didn’t have to be ashamed of letting himself get overpowered without a fight.

\-----

Seraphina landed at the Warren with a clap of thunder, storm clouds trailing behind her like a cloak of menace as she strode into the warded tunnel mouth. Bunnymund was easy enough to find, sleeping peacefully beneath a large oak tree out in the open. She very nearly threw a bolt of lightning at his rump, but stayed her hand. Jack needed to know he was safe, not that his friends could be defeated in their sleep.

“Bunnymund.” she snapped, storming over to plant a foot on his chest. The Guardian yelped, eyes flying open, and Sera bared her teeth at him.

“Whatever happened it’s not my fault.” he said quickly, raising his hands palms-up.

“Oh, I’m fairly sure it _is_ your fault, Pooka.” she snarled, pressing her heel down on his diaphragm. “My son was **attacked** in your Warren, because you were asleep.”

Bunny blinked in confusion, then looked horrified. “Frostbite? Where is he, is he okay?” he tried to sit up, and Sera dug her heel in harder, making him gasp for air.

“He is somewhere safe, beyond even the reach of spirits such as my father. I can take you to him-”

“Please.”

“I was not finished, Pooka.” she spat, leaning on her toe to force him to lie flat on the ground again. “I will take you to him, _if_ you can tell me what spirit could bypass your formidable defences.”

“To take ta Lady Liberty?” Bunny asked, no longer trying to sit up.

“René does not punish harshly enough.” Sera replied loftily. “Whoever attacks a child of mine forfeits their right to a judge, and must answer directly to myself and the Seasons.”

Bunny nodded. “Fair enough. But I can’t check the spell unless you let me up.”

Sera sighed and lifted her foot, the storm clouds abating. “Lead the way.”

Bunny stood slowly, smoothing down his fur as Sera tapped her foot against a root. The clouds which followed her were darkening again, and Bunny began hurrying towards the out-of-the-way room which held all of the runes and such that protected his home from both mortal and immortal intruders. If somebody had gotten through, their name would have appeared on the registry along with the time of entry.

“It has been a long time since I have read High Pookan, Bunnymund. Tell me the names on that list.” Seraphina nodded to the enchanted scroll and quill set. Archaic, but functional.

Bunny frowned, brow furrowing as he read the times and dates of the people who’d come into his home. “Either the person who attacked Frostbite was under some heavy concealment spells, or they knew how to erase this sheet.” 

“Do not speak to me in riddles, Pooka.” Mother Nature said warningly.

“Well, y’see, the last names on here are yours, mine, and Jack’s.”

Seraphina’s eyes fairly glowed with fury. “Are you telling me that you have no way of tracking the spirit who attacked my son?” she roared, hair lifting as her clouds turned black and began crackling with lightning.

Bunny flinched as thunder rolled, the younger spirit’s clouds becoming a raging storm within the confines of the earthen walls. “I’m not sayin’ that.” he said hastily. “I’m just sayin’ this wasn’t a spur-of-tha-moment attack. I’ll need a while to track down how they did it.”

Mother Nature calmed her clouds to a thick mist, and stalked over to stand over Bunnymund. “When you discover who is responsible for causing one of my own so much pain, you will bring him to me. You may deliver your own punishment, but the villain must be alive and conscious when he is delivered to me.”

“Right, right.” Bunny agreed, nodding quickly.

\-----

“Jack? It’s me.” Seraphina knocked on the door to her younger son’s room. “I brought dinner.” 

“Not hungry.” the winter sprite grumbled.

Sera sighed and sent a wisp of cloud in to unlatch the door. “I’m coming in.” she warned, waiting a few seconds before pushing the door open. Jack was, as she had suspected, curled up in his nest. She kicked the door shut and set the full tray down next to the one she’d brought in almost eighteen hours ago. Her face pulled down in a frown when she realized how little Jack had eaten, but her brow smoothed as she sat down on the edge of her youngest child’s nest. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Why?”

Seraphina sighed and clasped her hands in her lap. “Jack, when I was new to this planet, I was in a situation much like yours.”

The snow drift shifted, and Jack sat up to give her a disbelieving look. “No way. You’re the strongest woman on the planet, after Death.”

She chuckled. “Well, at the time I was also very headstrong and overconfident. I angered one of the Old Gods by mistake, and when we fought he tore open my dress and assaulted me.”

Jack shuddered, bringing his knees up to his chest.

“This God said some very horrible things, and for a few centuries I spoke to nobody, I kept my storms to a bare minimum, I was withdrawn and miserable. I thought that I had deserved what he did to me, that it was somehow my fault.”

“What? That’s stupid, of course it wasn’t your fault. You just said it was an accident, and- and he was the one who did the bad stuff.” Jack blurted, ears held stiffly back.

Seraphina smiled sweetly and pressed a kiss to the young Pooka’s forehead. “It took me a long time to figure that out for myself, baby. But you don’t have to go through this on your own. I’ll be here to listen whenever you need me.”

Jack smiled and leaned forwards, giving Sera a hug. “I love you, mom.”

“And I love you, Jack.” she murmured, scratching behind his ears. When he pulled away she reached over to the table and grabbed a spear of asparagus. “Now, eat.”

“But moooooooom.” he whined, giving the vegetable a disgusted look.

“I may not be able to make you eat your greens when you’re living in the Warren, but while you’re staying here you are going to have to eat properly.”

“Do I have to eat _that_ , though? Can’t I have, like, peas and green beans? I’d even take broccoli.”

Mother Nature chuckled. “I know you like asparagus, Jack. You loved it when Spring made it at the last Solstice.”

“She cooked it with seasonings and stuff.” he grumbled, taking the stalk and biting into it reluctantly.

“It’s healthier for you this way.” Sera smiled. “I’ll run a bath. You eat, and then come down and wash yourself.”

“Okay.” Jack mumbled around a mouthful of asparagus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In War of Dreams, the ground in Sera’s place is described as an ever-shifting pattern of water and dirt. But it never becomes muddy, the two elements remain distinct and separate. And trees, there are **lots** of trees. The logical conclusion: treehouse rooms!


End file.
